The civil lawsuit filed by Andrea McNulty in Washoe District Court claims Ben Roethlisberger assaulted her, committed sexual assault and battery, false imprisonment, false pretenses, fraud, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and that McNulty suffered “great mental anguish,” and damage to her career and reputation. o It seeks unspecified damages in excess of $10,000 for each of the six claims and seeks exemplary and punitive damages “sufficient to deter defendant and each of them from engaging in such conduct in the future.” o The suit also claims that a list of people in Harrah’s management intentionally caused emotional distress, invaded McNulty’s privacy, trespassed, defamed her, and was involved in a civil conspiracy against her, and is seeking unspecified general damages in excess of $10,000 for each of the five claims, seeks special damages for lost wages and medical expenses that topped $380,000, and asks for punitive damages “sufficient to deter defendant and each of them from engaging in such conduct in the future.”o The suit seeks special damages for lost wages and medical expenses that topped $380,000, and attorney’s fees.----------------------------------------------Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowl titles in his first five years in the league. After the 2005 season and at the age of 23, he became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl title. The Steelers also won the Super Bowl last season. The 6-foot-5, 241-pound Findlay, Ohio, native and 2004 Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year was a three-year starter at Miami (Ohio) where he set numerous career records.

An employee at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe casino has filed a lawsuit against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Harrah’s management, claiming the football star raped her in 2008 and casino officials covered it up.

In her lawsuit filed Friday in Washoe District Court, Andrea McNulty said she was working July 11, 2008, at a desk in the penthouse suite during the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament at Stateline when Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl winner, called her to his room to fix his television.

Once there, he forced her on his bed and raped her, the suit contends.
When she later told Harrah’s security chief Guy Hyder, the suit said, she was told that Harrah’s Tahoe casino president John Koster was a close friend of Roethlisberger and that “most girls would feel lucky to get to have sex with someone like Ben Roethlisberger.”

She was told “Koster would love you even more if he knew about this,” according to the suit.

The woman claims in the suit that she fell into a deep depression after the rape and spent most of the last six months in and out of hospitals. Her lawyer, Calvin Dunlap, declined Tuesday to comment further. Efforts to reach McNulty were unsuccessful Tuesday.

“Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty,” Roethlisberger’s lawyer, David Cornwell, said. Cornwell denied the claim, saying and said the absence of any criminal charges are the “most compelling evidence” that the allegations are false.

Steeler’s spokesman Dave Lockett said the football organization was aware of the suit, but declined to comment.

Harrah’s Entertainment spokeswoman Jacqueline Peterson said the company was not named in the suit, and said it does not comment on pending litigation. Speaking for the Harrah’s employees named in the suit, company spokeswoman Marybel Batjer said, “It is our company policy not to speak on the record regarding pending litigation.”

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In addition to general and punitive damages, the lawsuit seeks $380,000 she has spent for medical expenses and says she has lost $30,000 in wages.

According to the suit, McNulty began working at the front desk of Harrah’s Lake Tahoe in March 2003, was promoted to spa manager in July 2004, to VIP services manager within a year and executive casino host in February 2008.

When the celebrity golf tournament began in July, she was asked to work as a concierge on the penthouse floor, and was introduced to Roethlisberger by a butler, the suit said.

McNulty knew of Roethlisberger’s celebrity status had heard Koster speak of the NFL player on several occasions; Hyder told her that Koster was “a huge fan” of Roethlisberger’s and was paired with him in the golf tournament, the suit said.

About 10 p.m. July 11, McNulty was at her desk when Roethlisberger returned to his room with an unidentified woman, who left about 20 minutes later, the suit said. Roethlisberger stopped to talk with McNulty after the woman left, and mentioned that his television sound system was broken. He called soon after and asked her if she would fix it, the suit said.

McNulty called her boss and the hotel engineering department but was unable to reach anyone, so she went to his room to try to help, the suit said. He allegedly led her to the television in the bedroom, when she tried the remote and found it was working properly, the suit said.

When she tried to leave the room, Roethlisberger allegedly blocked the door and began kissing and fondling her, the suit said. Because he is 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds, she feared he “would physically harm her if she attempted to fight him,” the suit said.

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He forced her on the bed and raped her as she continued to object, the suit said. After the rape, he became concerned about whether there were cameras in the room and told her to leave, the suit said.

She left the building, and drove away, “very distraught, and crying,” the suit said.

NO INVESTIGATION

McNulty said she was still upset the next day when she told Hyder about the rape, but he said she was “over reacting,” and said she should feel lucky, the suit said.
The suit said she expected Hyder to investigate the assault and report it to Harrah’s executives, but he did not. She was told at an August gathering that Koster would fire her if she started rumors about Roethlisberger, the suit said.

McNulty felt she had no one to turn to, and was afraid of reporting it to police, “since it was obvious to her that Harrah’s and its personnel, particularly Hyder and Koster, would side with and support Roethlisberger, the celebrity friend of Koster,” the suit said.

McNulty “fell into a depression which deepened over time,” the suit said. By Labor Day, she had stopped eating, could not sleep, and suffered a nervous breakdown, the suit said. On Sept. 25, she checked into Renown Regional Medical Center, and was sent to West Hills Hospital to be treated for anxiety and depression, the suit said.

She went on medical leave and was moved to a facility in Napa, Calif., where she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. She returned to her Lake Tahoe home Oct. 30 and continued to be treated on an outpatient basis, the suit said.

On Nov. 19, she was admitted to a Carson City hospital for depression and anxiety and was suffering from health problems from not eating or sleeping, the suit said. She had dropped 30 pounds, the suit said, “and her spirit was broken.”

HYDER CONTACT

While McNulty was hospitalized, Hyder contacted her parents and said her breakdown was in response to the end of e-mail contact “with a young man,” the suit said. He never told her parents about the sexual assault, but began to “gain the confidence” of her family, the suit said.

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Once she was back home, Hyder “pretended” to be her friend and said he wanted a key to her home so he could “check on her,” the suit said. She agreed, and soon after, Hyder, Masters and other defendants went there and removed and altered files on her laptop computer, “for the purpose of providing the information to Harrahs’ and for their own . . . purposes,” according to the suit.

Soon after, she returned to work, but received a negative work report by Neall for allegedly becoming upset in front of guests. McNulty was taken to the in-house clinic and the doctor said she was not well enough to work and she was placed on another leave.

According to the lawsuit, McNulty learned in December or January that Hyder, Koster and several others met to discuss the assault and “reached an agreement not to investigate the incident.”

“Defendants, instead, continued to surveil and monitor plaintiff, hoping she would do nothing,” the suit said.

In March, McNulty told the Harrah’s doctor about the rape, saying she had been afraid to report it, and he said he would talk to management. He later said he had changed his mind and said she was better off dropping the issue, the suit said.
She was released back to work March 3 but her return date was delayed. The lapse in her work schedule caused her health insurance to be canceled, the suit said.

The suit said she told Hyder in March the rape was the reason for her emotional problems.

“Hyder said, ‘I figured that was what was wrong, but I thought it was just like a date rape thing;,” the suit said. “Hyder then said that he knew that plaintiff was very distraught and upset, but that he thought that she had regretted sleeping with defendant Roethlisberger . . .”

She received additional negative work reports and was told that she would be fired if she had any other incidents of crying in front of guests.